Salina commission revises city manager recruitment brochure, debates salary range and community priorities

Salina commissioners and staff spent a study session reviewing and rewriting the draft recruitment brochure for the city manager search, focusing on what community projects and department strengths to highlight and how the advertised salary range could affect applicant quality.

The discussion on the brochure — led by a presenter identified in the meeting as Chris and attended by the mayor, multiple commissioners and department staff — covered housing, public safety, the Smoky Hill River renewal project, the Schilling remediation settlement funds, K State–linked economic projects and the city’s arts and parks offerings. Commissioners asked staff to tighten language, avoid excessive lists of details, swap several photos, and circulate a revised draft for review before any formal approval at an open meeting.

Why it matters: the brochure frames the city’s national recruitment for a top executive and can affect the size and quality of the candidate pool. Commissioners and the consultant repeatedly flagged the salary range in the draft as a key signal to applicants; how the city sets and explains that figure will shape who applies and the later negotiation process.

Most urgent changes and next steps

Commissioners asked staff to add or clarify several community items in the brochure: recent and planned housing investments; named higher-education institutions and their contributions (K State Salina, Kansas Wesleyan and other local programs); the city’s parks and Kenwood Cove waterpark; the Smoky Hill River renewal project; and the Salina Regional Health Center and Tammy Walker Cancer Center as part of the medical-sector paragraph. The draft…